As the Images Unwind
by holloway
Summary: Jackson Rippner is a consummate professional. But when he gets on the red eye to Miami, he encounters a mark who makes his job difficult. [breakfast on pluto red eye crossover contains spoilers for both]
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Seabreeze

Jackson sat in the airport tex mex restaurant, anxiously awaiting his prey. He wasn't normally this nervous on a job, but there was something about Kitten, something that made her different than the rest. He glanced up and saw her approaching. Wheeling her suitcase behind her, she was a vision in tight, flared jeans and a croc print jacket. Her short brown hair was curly and gathered behind a hairband. His breath hitched in his throat as she pursed her lips and smiled at him. She quickly wheeled her suitcase over.

"Oh goodness me! Is this seat taken?" her lilting Irish accent warmed the cockles of his heart…and another organ. He mentally calmed himself, and then smiled, gesturing to the open chair. "Go right ahead."

"Oh thank you, darling. You know it's so hard to find a gentleman these days. Why this terrible woman spilt her drink all over me and didn't so much as miss a beat. Honestly!" She smiled flirtatiously and put her hand on his. He'd never had a mark this willing. Or this tempting. Her lips were like clouds – so full and soft. And her eyes. They were the same shade of blue as his own, but whereas his were cold and dead, hers were warm and vulnerable. Stop Jackson, he said to himself. Do your job and move on.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He said, trying to regain control of the situation. She leaned towards the waiting bartender.

"Thank you, sugar. I'll have a –"

"Seabreeze." He said, winking.

"Well, yes. Thank you" She turned to him in surprise. "However did you know?"

"It's a little talent I have. Good for breaking the ice." He relaxed. They were back on his turf.

"Darling, I don't think you'd have that trouble; handsome young fella like yourself" she remarked as the bartender set the seabreeze in front of her. "Speaking of which, does the handsome fellow have a name?"

"It's Jackson" He reached out a hand. She dropped her soft and silky hand into his.

"Nice to meet you, Jackson. You can call me Kitten."

"Kitten?" he said, with a bemused smile, pretending to be shocked.

"Well, it's not my real name of course. But my friends call me Kitten," she said as she sipped on her drink.

"Ah. Kitten it is then."

"And what about you? Jackson sounds so stiff and formal. You don't have a nickname?"

"Oh no. Just Jackson really. See, my last name is Rippner so…"

"Oh, say no more" Kitten clucked her tongue sympathetically. "That's very unfortunate. Your parents were very cruel."

"Yes, yes they were. That's what I told them…before I killed them." He was testing her. She looked shocked for a moment, and then recovered as she realized the joke and began to laugh.

"Oh you!" She said. "You had me for a moment there."

"I think I really did," he admitted, chuckling.

At that moment, the boarding call for the Miami flight sounded through the airport. Too soon, Jackson thought to himself. He didn't want to get down to business with Kitten. He didn't want to hurt her.

"Oooh gracious!" She said, excitedly. "Well, doll, they're playing my song. Thanks ever so much for the drink but I really have to catch my plane." She clasped his hand in hers and brushed her lips along his cheekbone. And then, in a cloud of Chanel no. 5, she was gone. The intimacy caught Jackson off guard, and he sat with his hand on his cheek for several moments before he realized his phone was ringing. Back to business, he reminded himself, as he took the call with great reluctance.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Is this my seat?

Jackson sat in seat 18F, his heart racing slightly. He heard a bit of a commotion coming from the entrance. No doubt Ms. Kitten had just boarded. He quickly buried himself in his newspaper. A few moments later, he heard a breathy voice float down the aisle towards him.

"Let's see…14, 15, oooh sir, wouldn't you like to know? 16, 17, now is that entirely appropriate? Ah. 18." He lowered his paper and cocked an eyebrow.

"Look who we have here! Hello Mr. Rippner." She waved coyly at the handsome and cunning criminal.

"Well, hello again, Miss Kitten."

"Oh darling, I think that we'll be getting to know each other very well! That's my seat." She pointed enthusiastically at the empty seat and he slid out to let her in. As she struggled with her carry on, he took it from her. "Allow me." And he smiled charmingly as he thrust her suitcase into the storage compartment.

"Thank you, darling" She said, and placed her hand on his. It felt like his hand was directly connected to his trousers whenever she touched him. She purred in his ear "I'll have to make it up to you later" He dared to raise his eyes to hers and she gave him a knowing look before sliding her hand off his and into her purse. Breathe deep, he said to himself and checked his watch, as she pulled a Dr. Phil book out of her purse. Good, he thought.

"You like Dr. Phil?" He smiled at her conversationally. She beamed at him. "Oh yes, sugar. You know I didn't think I would, but then my dear sister – well, she's not really my sister, we were just both taken in by Hairy Arse Braden – she sent it to me and she told me it might help me with some of my problems. And at first I thought 'oh fiddle dee dee, what do I need help with?' but then you know, I started reading it and I found that I really do have some emotional boundaries that I must break down." She stopped, breathless. "Oh love, I'm sorry, I tend to prattle on a bit. Just say 'Oh shut your mouth, you silly!' whenever I go on too long."

"Oh no" said Jackson. "It doesn't bother me at all."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: My Business is all about you

Kitten and Jackson sat together like this while the plane taxied down the runway and out of the terminal. She told him all about her adventures in London to find her mother, aka "The Phantom Lady" and he listened, knowing it already, trying not to become more infatuated with her.

"You know, it was good to find her," she remarked as the plane took off. "and sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if she'd stayed and I'd been with her and my father and we'd lived behind the parish. But then I wouldn't be the Kitten I am today." The plane shuddered in the air and she inhaled quickly, her hand gripping the armrest.

"Everything alright?"

"I just hate flying."

"Tell me more about your father" Jackson said as he resisted the urge to place his hand on top of hers.

"Father came over here about a year ago – seeing as Charlie and I were already here, there wasn't much left for him back home. He's living in Miami now."

"Retired?"

"Oh yes, bless his heart. One can only do the good Lord's work for so long before it starts to lose the glamour. So he's living with me now, and Charlie's living just down the lane so it's just like back home, only without Irwin and Laurence, bless their souls." The plane levelled out and Kitten breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you for doing that; keeping my mind occupied." She smiled at him and patted his hand. Time to stop playing games, he thought to himself. Lay your cards on the table.

"Actually I was just keeping the focus on you and your father."

"Oh heavens, why?"

"Because it's my job"

"What do you do?"

"Showy government take-overs, assassinations, that sort of thing."

"Ah, so you're a revolutionary."

"No, I do it for the money." He saw discomfort in her eyes and it pained him. You have to finish this, he steadied himself. You have to finish the job.

"Please tell me something, darling."

"Anything."

She lowered her voice and whispered into his ear "Are you bombing the plane?"

Their blue eyes met as he turned to look at her. God, why did he have to do this? Couldn't there be some way out? He swallowed deep. He could feel her breath on his cheek. He wanted to do nothing more than to kiss her and taste the mystery.

"No, I'm not bombing the plane" he said. "But, as it turns out, my business is all about you."

"I don't understand." There was a tremor in her voice.

"I need you to do something for me. Help me out a bit."

"A favour?"

He gave her a half smile "yes. A favour."

"I'm very good at favours."

"Good. Because if you don't, your father will die."

She was silent for a moment as the colour drained from her face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." His voice was cold. He had turned off all of his charm. Business is business, he reminded himself.

"Oh serious serious serious." She said and pressed the flight attendant button. He pulled a string of rosary beads out of his pocket. Her father's. He never travelled without it. She stood to get the flight attendant's attention and he grabbed her wrist. "Oh excuse me, stewardess, but this rather inebriated and troubled young woman who I have never seen before got very upset when I pulled out my rosary. You tell the flight attendant and your father dies. Sit down."

Kitten sank back into her seat as the flight attendant scurried over.

"What can I do for you?" She said as she noticed Kitten crying. Jackson smiled at her reassuringly.

"She's just had a really rough day."


End file.
